one of the hottest dance companies in america

Our dedication to providing dancers and dance makers the resources and creative room needed to
realize new, inspired dance works led Dance International Magazine to proclaim that we were “changing
the way dance is created” and established Northwest Dance Project as “a laboratory, factory and
repository for risk-taking new works from the next generation of choreographers from Europe and
North America.”
In order to produce the next wave of significant dance works, we are also committed to advancing dance
education and community involvement. Northwest Dance Project established our beautiful Creative
Center in the heart of Portland’s vibrant and historic Northeast Neighborhood where we lead dance
education for adults and children through our various projects, intensives, workshops and classes as well
as opportunities for established and emerging dance makers to choreograph and refine new works set
on our company of classically trained, fearless contemporary company dancers.
Because dance cannot survive without new audiences and deepened appreciation of the art form,
we strive to engage individuals and communities with dance through accessible performances by
our Company, studio sessions, dance samplers, outdoor performances, special events, master classes,
collaborations with artists of other performing arts and visual genres and conversation with artists. We
even do the unexpected bringing performances to the streets, coffee shops, hospitals and the occasional
escalator in shopping malls! We also love offering the experience of dance to youth of all ages (from 4
to 80!) through our interactive Dance Moves community outreach program.
“ONE OF THE HOTTEST DANCE COMPANIES IN AMERICA” -- PORTLAND STAGE REVIEWS
ABOUT
FOUNDED IN 2004 BY ACCLAIMED DANCER, MENTOR, AND CHOREOGRAPHER
SARAH SLIPPER, NORTHWEST DANCE PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO THE CREATION
AND PERFORMANCE OF INNOVATIVE, CONTEMPORARY NEW DANCE WORKS FROM
ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING DANCE MAKERS CREATED IN AN OPEN AND ARTISTICALLY
STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT.
“SARAH SLIPPER IS TRULY GIFTED. THIS IS WHAT DANCE SHOULD BE... SHE FOUND THE
POINT AT WHICH THE FORM OF DANCE (STEPS, TECHNIQUE, FEET, PERFORMANCE)
COMBINE TO CREATE A WORK OF ART.”
— THE NEWS RECORD
Sarah Slipper was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and received her professional training
at the Royal Ballet School in London, England and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. In 1980, she
made her professional debut with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a corps de ballet member, and became
one of the company’s leading dramatic ballerinas. Ms. Slipper worked closely with many internationally
renowned directors, choreographers and teachers, including Arnold Spohr, Rudi van Dantzig, Hans van
Manen, Jirí Kylián, Agnes de Mille, Galina Yordanova, and Alla Savchenko. Ms. Slipper was noted for her
classical line and dramatic abilities, dancing the principal roles in classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Les
Sylphides, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. In addition to the classical repertoire, she received worldwide
acclaim for her performances of contemporary ballets, most notably Nobert Vesak’s The Ecstasy of Rita
Joe and the award winning Belong pas de deux.
After Ms. Slipper left the stage, she continued her passion for music and drama, studying theatre at the
honours level at University of Winnipeg, and in Oxford, England. During the 1996/97 season, she served
as ballet mistress of Alberta Ballet, and from 1997/99 as ballet mistress of Oregon Ballet Theatre. Ms.
Slipper’s command of classical and contemporary styles is demonstrated in her active role of teaching and
coaching younger dancers. As a guest master teacher, Ms. Slipper has worked with the Royal Winnipeg
Ballet, Washington Ballet, Ballet Austin, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Jefferson Dancers, and Dance
Departments of University of Utah, Cornish College of the Arts, and University of Iowa.
An award-winning independent choreographer, Ms. Slipper is presently based in Portland, Oregon,
creating dance worldwide. She has worked with prominent dance companies including the Royal
Winnipeg Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nashville Ballet, Washington Ballet, Ballet
Jorgen, Louisville Ballet, Ballet NY, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Cornish Dance Theater, Northwest
Dance Project, and The Jefferson Dancers. She was awarded the Grand Prize for Choreography at the
International Choreographic Competition Saint Sauveur 2000 for her ballet Shattered Night, which
was created on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. During her choreographic residency at Festival des Arts in
Quebec, Canada, her ballet, A River In A Dry Land, was described by the Montreal Gazette as “one of the
finest choreographies produced in residency.” Ms. Slipper’s works have been described as “absolutely
remarkable... grippingly pits breezy romanticism against a sinister undercurrent.” (The Oregonian) and
“... a complete, enclosed world, a somber yet hopeful winter landscape across which the three couples
thread in a long, smoothly unfolding skein of dance.” (The New York Times)
A Fine Balance, her pas de deux created during Northwest Dance Project’s inaugural year, was a finalist
for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in 2006 and was performed at the Bolshoi Theatre as part
of the award’s gala celebration.
Ms. Slipper is the founding Artistic Director of Northwest Dance Project and has created over thirty
original works for the company to date.
“ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SARAH SLIPPER’S DANCERS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER - SHARPER,
MORE ELASTIC, MORE SELF-ASSURED.” -- THE OREGONIAN
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
SARAH SLIPPER
Danielle Agami was born in Israel in 1984. She studied at the High School of the Jerusalem Academy
of Music and Dance and was a member of the Batsheva Dance Company from 2002-2010. Between
2007-2009, Agami served as the artistic director of Batsheva Dancers Create and functioned as the
company’s rehearsal director from 2008-2010, during which she received the Yair Shapira Prize for
Excellence in Dance in 2009. After 8 years with the Batsheva Dance Company, Danielle relocated to
New York, where she functioned as senior manager of Gaga U.S.A. In 2011, she created original works at
Rutgers University, Boston Conservatory, and Springboard Montreal. After relocating to Seattle, Agami
founded Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY as her first longitudinal project - a discovery of her artistic voice as a
dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Danielle created her first work for Northwest Dance Project, This
Time Tomorrow, in 2013.
LUCAS CRANDALL
Lucas Crandall began training in dance at the age of 14. In 1980 he obtained his first professional
contract with the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve. In 1985, he joined Nederlands Dans Theater
and two years later, Lucas returned to Ballet du Grand Theatre, working with choreographers including
Ohad Naharin, Jirí Kylián, Mats Ek and Christopher Bruce. In 1996 he became the company’s Rehearsal
Director. Lucas joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2000 as Associate Artistic Director and served
on faculty with the Lou Conte Dance Studio, as well as an in-demand ballet and repertory instructor for
master classes throughout the country. Creating works since 1982, his pieces have been performed in
the U.S. and abroad. In 2010, Lucas joined NDT as Rehearsal Director, then returned to Hubbard Street
Dance Chicago in 2013 to serve as Ballet Master. Lucas created Triptych for Northwest Dance Project
in 2006, Blue in 2008 and Caress in 2009, and he has led master classes and workshops for Northwest
Dance Project.
PATRICK DELCROIX
Choreographer Patrick Delcroix was educated in at the Centre International de Danse Rosella
Hightower in Cannes and the Ecole de Danse Colette Soriano in Orthez, France. In 1982 he joined
the Iwanson Dance Company in Munich (director Jessica Iwanson), followed by the Scapino Ballet
Amsterdam in 1985 (director Armando Navarro). It was here that he first met Jirí Kylián, when the
choreographer came to create Picolo Mondo and cast the young Delcroix. He was subsequently invited
by Kylián to join the Nederlands Dans Theater 1, where he danced from 1986 to 2003. In these 17
years with NDT he worked with many celebrated figures, namely William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Ohad
Naharin, Edouard Lock, Nacho Duato, Hans van Manen and of course Jirí Kylián. As a choreographer,
Patrick has created 40 works and re-staged numerous others for a variety of companies, including
Nederlands Dans Theater 1, 2 & 3, Royal Danish Ballet, Basel Ballet, Ballet du Capitole Toulouse, Cape
Town City Ballet, Ballet of the Croatian National Theater,Vienna Staatsoper Ballet, Aalto Ballett Theater
Essen, Cisne Negro Sao Paolo, Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Introdans, Prague Chamber Ballet, Northwest
Dance Project, Junior Ballet Genève, It Danza Barcelona, Artscape, New English Contemporary Ballet,
Tanztheater am Staatstheater Braunschweig, Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo, Royal
Conservatory Den Haag, Royal Conservatory Antwerp, Nationale Ballet Academie – Amsterdam and
ArtEZ in Arnhem, Netherlands. His relationship with Jirí Kylián continues to this day as a repetior for
the Kylian Foundation. He has re-staged ballets on such companies as the Paris Opéra Ballet, Boston
Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Ballet de l’Opéra du Rhin, Norwegian National Ballet, Bern Ballet, National
Theater Ballet Prague, Aalto Ballett Theater Essen, Kobe Ballet, Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Aspen
Santa Fe Ballet and the Georgian National Ballet. In 2001, he was knighted by the French government
for services to the arts, being made “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres”. Patrick’s first
creation for Northwest Dance Project in 2011, Harmonie Défigurée, is a rich exploration of human
relationships filled with inventive, breathtaking partnering The Oregonian reviewed as “mesmerizing...
gave the dancers the kind of space-eating, tempo- shifting movement -- from fast, aggressive unison to
lyrical duets -- that makes this company such a pleasure to watch.”
CHOREOGRAPHERS
DANIELLE AGAMI
Jiri Pokorny was born in Prague, Czech Republic in 1981. He started his dance training at the pre ballet
school of the State Opera in Prague when he was eight years old and continued his studies at the
Prague National Dance Conservatory. After his graduation, Jiri joined Laterna Magika Praha (2000),
three years later he joined NDT2 in The Hague, and continued his career in 2006 with NDT1. He has
worked with many renowned choreographers like Jiri Kylian, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Mats Ek, Ohad
Naharin, Crystal Pite and others. Jiri has also created his own short works at the annual choreography
workshop “Switch from Dancer to Choreographer,” and collaborated with physical theatre Spitfire
Company in Prague. Jiri also teaches for “Move In,” the education department of NDT, Mediterraneo
Dance Festival in Italy and Architanz, Japan. His first larger works, Dead Nature and Flying Roof, were
created for NDT’s Summer Intensive in 2010 and 2011. In August 2010, Jiri joined Crystal Pite’s Kidd
Pivot in Frankfurt. Currently, he is free-lance a choreographer. His recent work, Doze, was created for
NDT2 and premiered in January 2013. In that same year, Black Clouds Don’t Cry premiered at the New
Stage of National Theater Prague, and was performed by Dekkadancers.
IHSAN RUSTEM
Ihsan Rustem was born in London and trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary
Dance. He was a member of the National Youth Dance Company before being engaged by Adventures
in Motion Pictures (Matthew Bourne, UK), Ballet Theater Munich (Germany), Introdans (Netherlands),
Bern Ballet, and the Tanz Luzerner Theater (Switzerland), working with and dancing repertoire by Mats
Ek, Jiri Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Patrick Delcroix, Paul Lightfoot / Sol Leon, Alexander
Ekman,Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Maurice Béjart, Robert Battle, David Parsons, Karol Armitage,
and Cayetano Soto, amongst others. Ihsan began choreographing as a student at the Rambert School,
creating over ten pieces for the Academy, and has since created works for the National Youth Dance
Company, Tanz Luzerner Theater, ArtEz Dansacademie Arnhem (NL), Arnhem Mode Biennale, Dance
Art Studio Luzern, Playground Bern, Peter Williams Design for Dance London, and the choreographic
workshops of Ballet Theater Munich, Introdans and Dance Made In Bern (Bern Ballet). Ihsan’s work for
Northwest Dance Project, State of Matter, received the Audience Award at the 25th Annual Hanover
Choreographic Competition and won the 2011 Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest. Northwest Dance
Project performed State of Matter at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London.
SARAH SLIPPER
An award winning independent choreographer, Sarah Slipper studied at the Royal Ballet School, was
a principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and appeared as a guest artist worldwide. She has
worked with internationally renowned directors and choreographers such as Arnold Spohr, Rudi van
Dantzig, Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián and Agnes de Mille. Sarah Slipper served as Ballet Mistress of
Alberta Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre, and teaches master classes throughout North America. She
was awarded the Grand Prize for Choreography at the International Choreographic Competition at
Saint Sauveur in 2000. Sarah has created over 20 works for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet,
Nashville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Jorgen, Louisville Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Ballet New York,
Ballet Pacifica and The Jefferson Dancers. A Fine Balance, her pas de deux created during the inaugural
Northwest Dance Project, was a finalist for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in 2006 and was
performed at the Bolshoi Theatre as part of the award’s gala celebration. Sarah has choreographed
multiple works for NWDP, is currently working on several new creations and serves as the Artistic
Director of Northwest Dance Project.
CHOREOGRAPHERS
JIRÍ POKORNY
Alex Soares danced for more than a decade with the most important contemporary dance companies
in São Paulo, Brazil, performing pieces by Ohad Naharin, Mauro Bigonzetti, Rami Levi, Gagik Ismailian,
Itzik Galili, Angelin Preljocaj, Cayetano Soto, Oscar Araiz, Henrique Rodovalho and others. He had
his choreographic debut in 2006 with Antiprisma which shown at the São Paulo City Ballet’s (BCSP)
New Choreographers Workshop. Alex has also studied filmmaking and produces videodances. His
work, For a Lost Moment, in 2009 was awarded the Best Video prize at the Festival do Minuto in 2010.
WiiPrevisto (2009), his last dance piece created for BCSP, has been shown in Brazil as well in Switzerland,
Germany and Netherlands to great acclaim. In 2010, Alex left BCSP to dedicate himself exclusively to
choreography and creating videodances. He also created a unique dance platform, Mov’o LA Project,
focusing on relationship between video art, technologies and dance. In 2011 he created a piece for
Mov’o LA Project, Chromaqui Studies, and in the same year, Alex was invited to create a videodance for
Noord Nederlandse Dans in Groningen,The Netherlands.After that,Alex won a British Council prize in
São Paulo to create Wii Som Disoriantations. Alex received the Residency Award for Northwest Dance
Project’s 2012 Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition and created Trace in Loss for
the company the same year.
YIN YUE
Yin Yue was born in Shanghai, China. She studied Chinese classical dance and Chinese ethnic dance
at Shanghai Dance School from 1995 to 2001 and contemporary modern dance in Shanghai Normal
University from 2001 to 2005. In 2008, she graduated from New York University, Tisch School of The
Arts with MFA in dance. Yin Yue was a finalist and grant recipient in The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2010: New
York City, which was presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. Yin Yue founded Yin Yue Dance
Company in 2010, a New York City based contemporary modern dance company. The company has
presented evening length dance production at Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance, FLIC fest 2013
at The Irondale Center, The New York International Fringe Festival at The New School for Drama and
individual dance pieces at Joyce SoHo Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Inside Out Dance Festival, The Current
Session Festival, Wave Rising Series and Cool New York Festival at John Ryan Theater. In Jan, 2013,
Yin Yue Dance Company took Within Reach, an evening-length production, on tour to China. Yin was
selected as a winner of Northwest Dance Project’s 2013 Pretty Creatives International Choreographic
Competition and created the high energy You Are In My Waltz for the LAUNCH project. She returned
to Portland in June 2014 to create her first work for the company, Before Dawn.
WEI WEI WANG
Wen Wei Wang began dancing at an early age in China, where he was born and raised. He trained and
danced professionally with Langzhou Song and Dance Company. In 1991, he moved to Canada and joined
Judith Marcuse Dance Company, after which he danced with Ballet British Columbia for seven years. In
2000 he received the Clifford E. Lee Choreographic Award and since then has choreographed for Alberta
Ballet, Ballet Jorgen, and Dancers Dancing. Since 2003, he has served as Artistic Director of Wen Wei
Dance.The company has performed at major venues across Canada, the Vancouver International Dance
Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival, the Canada Dance Festival, and the International Contemporary
Dance Festival in Colombia, South America. Wen Wei is the recipient of the 2006 Isadora Award for
Excellence in Choreography and the Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award — Dance 2009. Wen Wei
created Chi in 2009 and Conjugations in 2012 for Northwest Dance Project.
CHOREOGRAPHERS
ALEX SOARES
The company is classically trained, versatile, incredibly talented and a fearless collection of dynamic
dancers. The Oregonian described the company as “an impressive distillation of what Slipper has been
doing right since she launched Northwest Dance Project in 2004” and “the company creates diamonds
from dust and sweat,” while the Portland Tribune said the company “took the stage by storm” and that
the company was “virtually flawless.”
Northwest Dance Project performs and tours works from our extensive, all-original repertoire,
collaborates with contemporary choreographers on new dance creations, and leads our interactive
Dance Moves community outreach program and other events and performances during the season.
Since 2004, Northwest Dance Project has fostered the creation of over 160 innovative new creations
from Donald McKayle, Luca Veggetti, Sarah Slipper, Cayetano Soto, Danielle Agami, James Canfield,
Patrick Delcroix, Didy Veldman, Andrea Miller, Maurice Causey, Wen Wei Wang, James Gregg, Yin Yue,
Alejandro Cerrudo, Aszure Barton, Lucas Crandall, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Paul Vasterling, Alex Soares,
Edgar Zendejas, Ihsan Rustem, Gregory Dolbashian, André Mesquita, Loni Landon, Thaddeus Davis,
Pedro Dias, and Noam Gagnon, to name a few.
In 2014/15, the company will continue to develop its fantastic repertoire and will premiere new works
from Sarah Slipper, Jirí Pokorny, Minh Tran, Yin Yue, Ihsan Rustem, Rachel Erdos, Lucas Crandall, and
Tracey Durbin.
Watch us – we are on the move!
“SOME OF THE BEST DANCERS YOU WILL EVER SEE.” -- CALGARY HERALD
COMPANY
NORTHWEST DANCE PROJECT HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS A BOLD AND INNOVATIVE
CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY PERFORMING AN ALL-ORIGINAL REPERTOIRE FROM
AN ECLECTIC ROSTER OF ACCOMPLISHED CHOREOGRAPHERS AS WELL AS THE MOST
PROMISING NEW TALENTS IN THE FIELD OF DANCE.
University of Utah as a Ballet major and graduated with a B.F.A. in May 2007.
She was a member of Utah Ballet for three years while at the University, danced
with Alabama Ballet, and danced on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio
(Hubbard Street Dance Chicago). Samantha has danced original roles in
Northwest Dance Project works by Lucas Crandall, Sarah Slipper, Patrick Delcroix, James Canfield,
Wen Wei Wang, Andrea Miller, Loni Landon, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Ihsan Rustem, Edgar Zendejas,
Maurice Causey, Carla Mann, Gregory Dolbashian, and Alex Soares.
PATRICK KILBANE is from Bainbridge Island, Washington. He began his
dance training with Vera Bullen at the age of 14 and studied at Pacific Northwest
Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet
and with Suzanne Farrell at The Kennedy Center. Patrick also served as an
apprentice with Oregon Ballet Theatre for two seasons where he performed
works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Patrick has danced in new works by Maurya Kerr,
Gregory Dawson, Yannis Adoniou, and Josie Moseley. Patrick participated iNorthwest Dance Project’s
LAUNCH: 1, 2, and 3. Patrick has danced many featured roles in original Northwest Dance Project
works, including Cayetano Soto’s Last But Not Least, and André Mesquita’s A Short History of Walking,
and has also danced original roles in Northwest Dance Project works by Andrea Miller, Patrick
Delcroix, Sarah Slipper, Edgar Zendejas, Ihsan Rustem, James Canfield, Maurice Causey,Wen Wei Wang,
Alex Soares, Donald McKayle, and Carla Mann.
ELIJAH LABAY, born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, started training
at Ballet Arts Academy in Spokane, Washington. In 2004, Elijah joined Canada’s
Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division and then attended the Fellowship
Program at The Ailey School on full scholarship. He received a Professional
Advancement Award at Jacob’s Pillow to work with Aszure Barton, Helen
Pickett, and Tero Saarinen. In 2009, Elijah joined Florida Dance Theatre directed by Carol Erkes and
had the opportunity to choreograph Kaos in Wonderland. Elijah attended Northwest Dance Project’s
LAUNCH: 4 where he worked with choreographers Loni Landon and James Gregg. He was featured in
Northwest Dance Project’s premiere of André Mesquita’s A Short History of Walking, Alex Soares’ Trace
in Loss, and Sarah Slipper’s Casual Act, and in new Northwest Dance Project works created by Ihsan
Rustem, Loni Landon, Sarah Slipper, Patrick Delcroix, Gregory Dolbashian, and Wen Wei Wang.
LINDSEY MATHEIS grew up in Colorado before moving to North
Carolina. She began dancing under Kirstie Tice Spadie at NC Dance Institute
and later at the North Carolina School of the Arts under the directorship
of Susan McCullough. After graduating from the modern department in May
2008, Lindsey trained for a year at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet School in San
Francisco. Lindsey has appeared in original new works by Alonzo King, Amy Raymond, Robert Moses,
and Yannis Adoniou. In addition, she has studied at the Alvin Ailey School, American Dance Festival, and
with Northwest Dance Project. Lindsey has danced original roles in Northwest Dance Project works by
Maurice Causey, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Andrea Miller, Lucas Crandall, Sarah Slipper, Yin Yue, Alex Soares,
Patrick Delcroix, Loni Landon, Ihsan Rustem, and Wen Wei Wang.
LINDSEY MCGILL was born in Houston, Texas. She began her formal dance
training under Elizabeth and Rosemary Molak in Orange County, California
and continued training at the Houston Ballet Academy under the direction of
Ben Stevenson, Clara Cravey and Priscilla Nathan Murphy. Since graduating from
Houston Ballet Academy, Lindsey has worked with Jane Weiner’s Hope Stone Dance,
Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble, iMEE, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, O Dance,
NobleMotion Dance, The Next Stage Project, KDNY< and Dayton Contemporary
Dance Company 2. She has danced original roles in Northwest Dance Project works
by Patrick Delcroix, Wen Wei Wang, Sarah Slipper, Carla Mann, James Gregg, Danielle Agami, Yin Yue,
Minh Tran, Loni Landon, and Ihsan Rustem.
COMPANY ARTISTS
SAMANTHA CAMPBELL is from Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended
an athlete playing football for seven years before making his choice to dance.
He began his training at Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and Columbia
Dance, later studying under Tracey Durbin as a student and an assistant in
Portland. Franco participated in Northwest Dance Project’s LAUNCH: 2 and 3
and graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a B.F.A.
in Dance before joining Northwest Dance Project where he has danced original
roles in works by James Canfield, Sarah Slipper, Maurice Causey, Luca Veggetti,
Andrea Miller, Alex Soares, Edgar Zendejas, Patrick Delcroix, Yin Yue, Gregory Dolbashian, and Wen
Wei Wang. Franco was awarded a 2012 Princess Grace Award Fellowship in Dance.
ANDREA PARSON began her early dance training in Hillsboro, Oregon, at
Northwest Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Anita Mitchell. She
received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2008.
Andrea has taught dance throughout Oregon and Washington and has participated
in workshops with the Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance,
anoukvandijk dc and Northwest Dance Project. She has danced original roles in
Northwest Dance Project works by Aszure Barton, Sarah Slipper, Patrick Delcroix,
Luca Veggetti, Andrea Miller, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Maurice Causey, Wen Wei Wang,
Alejandro Cerrudo, Cayetano Soto, Ihsan Rustem, Loni Landon, and Edgar Zendejas.
In June 2010, Dance Magazine named Andrea their dancer “On the Rise.” The following month, Andrea
received her biggest career honor to date, winning a 2010 Princess Grace Award for Dance.
JULIA RADICK was born and raised in New York City. She attended LaGuardia
Arts High School and graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance from tisch School of the
Arts at New York University. She also trained at North Carolina School of the Arts,
Boston Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and with Batsheva. Julia has danced original
works by Nathan Trice, Brunilda Ruiz, James Sutton, Cherylyn Lavagnino, Aszure
Barton, and Kate Weare. She was a member of the Yomoco and has performed
with Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre. She participated in Northwest Dance
Project’s LAUNCH: 7 and joined the company immediately after. She worked with
Sarah Slipper, James Gregg, Minh Tran, Danielle Agami, and Carla Mann.
VIKTOR USOV was born in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. He began his dance training
in Portland with Sarah Slipper at the age of 14 and was a featured member
of The Jefferson Dancers. Viktor attended The Juilliard School on scholarship.
After graduating in 2010 with a BFA in Dance, Viktor moved to Germany to
dance as a soloist with Johannes Wieland at the Staatstheater Kassel. Viktor
returned to dance with Northwest Dance Project in 2013. He has had the privilege of performing
works by Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Jerome Robbins, Sarah Slipper, Johannes Wieland, Aszure Barton,
Donald McKayle, James Canfield, Lucas Crandall, Wen Wei Wang, Stephanie Thiersch, Chris Haring
James Gregg, Danielle Agami, and others. Viktor has been awarded a 2014 Princess Grace Award,
making him the third member in Northwest Dance Project to receive this coveted honor.
CHING CHING WONG was born in Manila, Philippines, but calls
southern California her home where she began her dance training at the age
of three at Allegria Dance Theatre under the artistic direction of Alia Harlan.
She received her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and minor in Education and
Psychology & Social Behavior from University of California, Irvine. During her
UCI days, she was a member of Donald McKayle’s Etude Ensemble and also performed works by
Jodie Gates, Molly Lynch, Lisa Naugle, Rennie Harris and William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite. Ching Ching
participated in Northwest Dance Project’s LAUNCH: 3 & LAUNCH: 4, and has danced original roles
in Northwest Dance Project works by Loni Landon, James Gregg, Patrick Delcroix, Wen Wei Wang,
Danielle Agami, Yin Yue, Alex Soares, and Ihsan Rustem.
COMPANY ARTISTS
FRANCO NIETO was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington. Franco was
State of Matter / Ihsan Rustem
After the Shake / Sarah Slipper
Before Dawn / Yin Yue
Blue / Lucas Crandall
Chi / Wen Wei Wang
Ensemble For Somnambulists / Luca Veggetti
Casual Act / Sarah Slipper
Drifting Thoughts / Patrick Delcroix
MemoryHouse / Sarah Slipper
Trace in Loss / Alex Soares
Mother Tongue / Ihsan Rustem
Airys / Sarah Slipper
Chameleon / Patrick Delcroix
A Fine Balance / Sarah Slipper
This Time Tomorrow / Danielle Agami
SAMPLE PROGRAM
Chi / Wen Wei Wang
MemoryHouse / Sarah Slipper
This Time Tomorrow / Danielle Agami
State of Matter / Ihsan Rustem
Approximate Running Times — 1:30 to 2 hours (including intermissions)
Select repertoire requires white marley floor.
OUR COMPANY CAN BE BOOKED FOR SINGLE OR MULTIPLE PERFORMANCES. WE ALSO
WORK WITH PRESENTERS FOR REGIONAL BLOCK-BOOKING.
Northwest Dance Project is committed to the education of new arts audiences at home and on tour.We
can tailor our educational programs to fit your community needs, thereby reaching all levels of dance
sophistication and audience interest, whether the organization is part of a university, metropolitan
area, or rural community. Week-long residency programs are available.
Artistic Director Sarah Slipper travels with the company, and depending on production schedule,
can teach master classes. She and company artists are also available for open rehearsal sessions,
demonstrations, and post-performance audience discussions.
Company members are also highly skilled master teachers and conduct all Northwest Dance Project
outreach programs.
Student workshops are taught by a team of two or three company dancers depending on class size.
Workshops are 45 to 60 minutes in length (dependant on age group) and offer one-on-one interaction
between a professional dancer and students.
Master Classes can be offered in a variety of dance styles: Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern,
Improvisation.
FOR BOOKING INFO CONTACT
Katie Holliday, Company Manager
503.421.7434 • [email protected] • nwdanceproject.org
DETAILS
SAMPLES OF REPERTOIRE PROGRAMMING — PROGRAM IS TAILORED IN DISCUSSION
WITH PRESENTERS.
Choreographer / Sarah Slipper
Premiere / 2013
Length / 39 minutes
“shifting couples that convey a complexity of
emotions, including tenderness, passion and
heartbreak.”
BLUE
Choreographer / Lucas Crandall
Premiere / 2008
Length / 18 minutes
“gracefully athletic ballet”
DRIFTING THOUGHTS
Choreographer / Patrick Delcroix
Premiere / 2013
Length / 25 minutes
“rhythmic drums evoking a sexy night club...taking
full advantage of the dancers’ expert technique
while celebrating their ability to get funky.”
CHI
Choreographer / Wen Wei Wang
Premiere / 2009
Length / 24 minutes
“the highlight of the show…a small feast
of images.”
CURRENT REPERTOIRE
CASUAL ACT
Choreographer / Alex Soares
Premiere / 2012
Length / 22 minutes
“awesome, dynamic, industrial, technical, and
had a very digital feeling.”
MEMORYHOUSE
Choreographer / Sarah Slipper
Premiere / 2011
Length / 21 minutes
“Bodice-ripping passion drama…the pair
grappling sweetly, erotically and then violently in
movement.”
THIS TIME TOMORROW
Choreographer / Danielle Agami
Premiere / 2013
Length / 20 minutes
“An apt demonstration of continuous fluidic
movement through space and narrative time.”
STATE OF MATTER
CURRENT REPERTOIRE
TRACE IN LOSS
WINNER / 2011 Sadler’sWells Global Dance Contest
WINNER / Audience Prize — 25th Annual
Hannover Choreographic Festival
Choreographer / Ihsan Rustem
Premiere / 2010
Length / 17 minutes
“impetus for some propulsive, flexed foot
movement, following an opening duet…
beautifully danced.”
Choreographer / Sarah Slipper
Premiere / 2012
Length / 32 minutes
“...sharp and dramatic...apocalyptic distopia...
an urban wasteland with those moving, seeking
protection in concert together.”
CHAMELEON
Choreographer / Patrick Delcroix
Premiere / 2012
Length / 25 minutes
“...vibrant colors in motion...we see the very fullest
these relations in movement can intertwine and
take us.”
A FINE BALANCE
Finalist / Benois de la Danse Award
CURRENT REPERTOIRE
AIRYS
Performed at the Awards Gala / Bolshoi Theater
Choreographer / Sarah Slipper
Premiere / 2004
Length / 15 minutes
“ This is what dance should be… see the
point at which the form, of dance (steps,
technique, feet, performance) combine to
create a work of art.”
MOTHER TONGUE
Choreographer / Ihsan Rustem
Premiere / 2012
Length / 21 minutes
“a model of contemporary choreography – a piece
very much of its own time but also fiercely focused
and sure of itself.”